Communications signal transcoder

ABSTRACT

Communications signal transcoder. A solution is provided to transcode a signal from a first signal type to a second signal type to ensure proper interfacing between devices that may operate using different signal types. For example, within a communication system, a first signal type (having a first modulation type, e.g.,  8  PSK) may be received. The transcoder then ensures that this signal, after it has undergone any initial processing (such as tuning, down-converting, decoding, and so on), is encoded into a second signal type (having a second modulation type, e.g., QPSK) such that it can interface properly with a device for which the received signal is intended. This transcoder functionality may be implemented within discrete components, or it may alternatively be integrated within a functional block of an integrated circuit. This functionality may be implemented in a variety of communication systems including satellite, cable television, Internet, and others.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS/PATENT APPLICATIONS

Continuation priority claim, 35 U.S.C. §120

The present U.S. Utility patent application claims priority pursuant to35 U.S.C. §120, as a continuation, to the following U.S. Utility patentapplication which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety and made part of the present U.S. Utility patent applicationfor all purposes:

1. U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 10/736,434, entitled“Communications signal transcoder,” (Attorney Docket No. BP2784), filedDec. 15, 2003, pending, and scheduled to be issued as U.S. Pat. No.7,751,477 on Jul. 6, 2010, which claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C.§119(e) to the following U.S. Provisional Patent Application which ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and made part ofthe present U.S. Utility patent application for all purposes:

-   -   a. U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/447,112, entitled        “Communications signal transcoder,” (Attorney Docket No.        BP2784), filed Feb. 13, 2003, now expired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to communication systems; and, moreparticularly, it relates to interfacing between at least two signaltypes within such communication systems.

2. Description of Related Art

Communication systems have been under continual development for manyyears. As technology continues to improve, there is a seemingly constantintroduction of new technology into the various technology markets. Thisis true also in the communication system technology space. One problemthat may arise when newer technology is introduced into a communicationsystem that also includes older, legacy components is a difficulty inthe interfacing of the signals generated by the newer devices with thoseolder, legacy devices that expect signaling in the earlier, legacysignal type format.

This difficulty in performing the interfacing between various signaltypes can be extremely problematic when a high expenditure is necessaryto update a particular technology market to ensure that all devices areoperable using the newer signaling. Oftentimes, the economic (and/orlogistical) considerations are simply prohibitive to do so. In an effortto combat this, effort is typically focused to ensure that the newergeneration devices (and their respective signaling) are backwardcompatible with the older, legacy devices. However, when there is arelatively significant leap in the technology from the legacy devices tothe newer devices, this backward compatibility can often be associatedwith a loss of performance. The vision of the designers of the legacydevices sometimes cannot adequately design an initial design (whichbecomes a legacy design) that will accommodate the backwardcompatibility with newer designs.

Within many communication systems, the increased flow of information,and consequently the increased associated data rates, often require thatany interfacing between legacy signaling and newer signaling must beperformed extremely efficiently (and sometimes extremely quickly). Manydesigns do not allow a great deal of processing resources to beallocated to perform this interfacing between legacy and newer devices(including interfacing their respective signaling). As such, thereexists a need for an efficient approach that can accommodate theinterfacing between legacy and newer technologies.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods of operationthat are further described in the following Brief Description of theSeveral Views of the Drawings, the Detailed Description of theInvention, and the claims. Other features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionof the invention made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a satellitecommunication system that is built according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of asatellite communication system that is built according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a HDTV (HighDefinition Television) communication system that is built according tothe invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a cable televisioncommunication system that is built according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a cable modemcommunication system that is built according to the invention.

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are diagrams illustrating embodiments of transcodersthat are built according to the invention.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are diagrams illustrating embodiments of one to manytranscoders that are built according to the invention.

FIG. 7C and FIG. 7D are diagrams illustrating embodiments ofbi-directional transcoders that are built according to the invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a transcoder that isbuilt according to the invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating embodiments of a transcoder system thatis built according to the invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a transport processorthat is built according to the invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a transcodingprocessing method that is performed according to the invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a satellite signaltranscoding processing method that is performed according to theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention presents a solution to perform the interfacing of a deviceoperating using a first signal type with a device that expects a secondsignal type. A variety of different communication system embodiments areillustrated herein where such transcoding may be performed. Thistranscoding may involve the changing of a received signal having a firstsignal type into an output signal having second signal type. Thistranscoding may be viewed as being a bridge between two devices thatoperate using two different signal types. For example, in one situation,a broadcast provider may upgrade its signaling to a new signal type.However, existing receiving devices within the communication system maystill be expecting to receive signaling under the older, legacy type ofsignaling (not the new signal type now provided by the broadcastprovider). A great deal of development and resources may have beeninvolved in design of devices at the subscriber end of suchcommunication systems, and there may be a reluctance to change thefunctionality of those devices given the significant amount ofinvestment already made. The invention provides an effective solutionthat transcodes a received signal into the format (e.g., signal type)for use by the devices at the subscriber end of the communicationsystem. This way, the legacy devices within the communication systemneed not be replaced, as they will then still be able to receivesignaling (after it has undergone any necessary transcoding) in itsolder signal type.

The following FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5 all illustrateexample embodiments of where the functionality of the transcoder of theinvention may be implemented. In general, the invention may be extendedto support the interfacing between any two devices that operate withindifferent signal spaces.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a satellitecommunication system that is built according to the invention. Asatellite transmitter may include an encoder that encodes informationinto a 1^(st) signal type. The satellite transmitter is communicativelycoupled to a satellite dish that is operable to communicate with asatellite. The satellite transmitter may also be communicatively coupledto a wired network. This wired network may include any number ofnetworks including a WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, proprietarynetworks, and other wired networks.

The satellite transmitter employs the satellite dish to communicate tothe satellite via a wireless communication channel. The satellite isable to communicate with one or more satellite receivers, each having arespective satellite dish. Each of the satellite receivers may include adecoder to perform decoding of the received signal from the satellite inthe 1^(st) signal type. These satellite receivers may also beimplemented as having a transcoder to perform any interfacing to adevice that is communicatively coupled to the satellite receiver. Thetranscoder can then ensure that the received signal, in its 1^(st)signal type, may be properly transformed into a 2^(nd) signal type so asto interface with the device.

This device communicatively coupled to the satellite receiver may be adisplay, an HDTV (High Definition Television) display, or some otherconsumer electronics without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention. The transcoder will transcode the received signal of the1^(st) signal type into an output signal of a 2^(nd) signal type (foruse in the device). In some instances, when two or more devices arecommunicatively coupled to the satellite receiver, the transcoder maytranscode the received signal of the 1^(st) signal type into one outputsignal of a 2^(nd) signal type (for use by a first devicecommunicatively coupled to the satellite receiver) and also anotheroutput signal of a 3^(rd) signal type (for use by a second devicecommunicatively coupled to the satellite receiver). In this instance,two or more transcoders may be implemented within the satellitereceiver. Alternatively, a single transcoder (e.g., within the satellitereceiver) may be designed to perform the transcoding of the receivedsignal of the 1^(st) signal type into one output signal of a 2^(nd)signal type and also into another output signal of a 3^(rd) signal type,either simultaneously (in parallel) or sequentially (in series).

In this embodiment, the communication to and from the satellite maycooperatively be viewed as being a wireless communication channel, oreach of the communication to and from the satellite may be viewed asbeing two distinct wireless communication channels.

For example, the wireless communication “channel” may be viewed as notincluding multiple wireless hops in one embodiment. In otherembodiments, the satellite receives a signal received from the satellitetransmitter (via its satellite dish), amplifies it, and relays it to thesatellite receivers (via their respective satellite dishes); thesatellite receivers may also be implemented using terrestrial receiverssuch as satellite receivers, satellite based telephones, and satellitebased Internet receivers, among other receiver types. In the case wherethe satellite receives a signal received from the satellite transmitter(via its satellite dish), amplifies it, and relays it, the satellite maybe viewed as being a “transponder.” In addition, other satellites mayexist that perform both receiver and transmitter operations incooperation with the satellite. In this case, each leg of an up-downtransmission via the wireless communication channel would be consideredseparately.

In whichever embodiment, the satellite communicates with the satellitereceiver. The satellite receiver may be viewed as being a mobile unit incertain embodiments (employing a local antenna); alternatively, thesatellite receiver may be viewed as being a satellite earth station thatmay be communicatively coupled to a wired network in a similar manner inwhich the satellite transmitter may be communicatively coupled to awired network.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of asatellite communication system that is built according to the invention.This embodiment is somewhat similar to the embodiment described above.

For example, a satellite transmitter may include an encoder that encodesinformation into a 1^(st) signal type. The satellite transmitter iscommunicatively coupled to a satellite dish that is operable tocommunicate with a satellite. Also similar to the embodiment describedabove, the satellite transmitter of this alternative embodiment may alsobe communicatively coupled to a wired network. This wired network mayinclude any number of networks including a WAN, the Internet,proprietary networks, and other wired networks.

The satellite transmitter employs the satellite dish to communicate tothe satellite via a wireless communication channel. Shown in thisembodiment, the satellite is able to communicate with a STB (Set TopBox) receiver that has a local satellite dish. Interposed between thelocal satellite dish and the STB receiver is a transcoder that isoperable to transform the signal received from the local satellite dish(being shown as being in a 1^(st) signal type) into a signal that isprovided to a STB receiver (being shown as being in a 2^(nd) signaltype). In some instances, the STB receiver may be viewed as being alegacy (e.g., earlier generation) type STB receiver that is compatibleto operate on earlier signal types. The transcoder is operable to ensurethat the signal provided to the STB receiver is of a signal type thatthe STB receiver expects to receive.

The STB receiver may be communicatively coupled to the display that isoperable to display and output the appropriately decoded audio and videosignals output from the STB receiver. The receiver end devices in thisembodiment (e.g., the transcoder, the STB receiver, and the display) mayall be implemented to operate on signals of one or both of SD (StandardDefinition) television signals or HDTV (High Definition Television)signals without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Ingeneral, the transcoder is operable to transcode the received signal ofthe 1^(st) signal type into an output signal of a 2^(nd) signal type(for use in the STB receiver to perform appropriate demodulation and/ordecoding as appropriately needed and required).

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a HDTV (HighDefinition Television) communication system that is built according tothe invention. An HDTV transmitter is communicatively coupled to atower. The HDTV transmitter, using its tower, transmits a signal to alocal tower dish via a wireless communication channel. The local towerdish may communicatively couple to an HDTV STB (Set Top Box) receivervia a coaxial cable. The HDTV STB receiver includes the functionality toreceive the wireless transmitted signal that has been received by thelocal tower dish; this may include any transformation and/ordown-converting that may be needed to accommodate any up-converting thatmay have been performed before and during transmission of the signalfrom the HDTV transmitter and its tower.

To perform any interfacing from the signal type received by the HDTV STBreceiver, a transcoder is interposed between the local tower dish theHDTV STB receiver. The transcoder is operable to change the signal typeof a signal received by the local tower dish (being of a 1^(st) signaltype) to that of a 2^(nd) signal type. This operation performed by thetranscoder ensures that the signal type of the received signal (again,being of the 1^(st) signal type as received by the local tower dish) isproperly transformed to a 2^(nd) signal type into an appropriate form asis be expected to be received by the HDTV STB.

For example, the HDTV STB receiver may be communicatively coupled to anHDTV display that is able to display the demodulated and decodedwireless transmitted signals received by the HDTV STB receiver and itslocal tower dish. There may be instances when the HDTV STB receiverreceives a signal in a format (e.g., the 1^(st) signal type) that isincompatible with the HDTV display. In this instance, the transcoderwill then transform the received signal of the 1^(st) signal type to asignal of the 2^(nd) signal type. In addition, the HDTV STB receiver mayalso be communicatively coupled to another type of display (that is notnecessarily an HDTV display). This display may be an older, legacy typeof display. There may be instances where it is desirable to be able toprovide an output signal from the HDTV STB receiver to this other typeof display (while also providing the functionality to support HDTVdisplays, when desired by a user). There may be instances where theother display requires a signal in a format different than that requiredby the HDTV display. In this instance, the transcoder may also beoperable to transform the 1^(st) signal type to a signal of a 4^(th)signal type (as being compatible with the other type of display).Alternatively, two separate transcoders, in a distributed implementationmay also be employed: one transcoder being operable to transform the1^(st) signal type to a signal of the 2^(nd) signal type, and the othertranscoder being operable to transform the 1^(st) signal type to asignal of the 4^(th) signal type.

Referring to the functionality of the communication herein, the HDTVtransmitter (via its tower) transmits a signal directly to the localtower dish via the wireless communication channel in this embodiment. Inalternative embodiments, the HDTV transmitter may first receive a signalfrom a satellite, using a satellite earth station that iscommunicatively coupled to the HDTV transmitter, and then transmit thisreceived signal to the local tower dish via the wireless communicationchannel. In this situation, the HDTV transmitter operates as a relayingelement to transfer a signal originally provided by the satellite thatis destined for the HDTV STB receiver. For example, another satelliteearth station may first transmit a signal to the satellite from anotherlocation, and the satellite may relay this signal to the satellite earthstation that is communicatively coupled to the HDTV transmitter. TheHDTV transmitter performs receiver functionality and then transmits itsreceived signal to the local tower dish.

In even other embodiments, the HDTV transmitter employs its satelliteearth station to communicate to the satellite via a wirelesscommunication channel. The satellite is able to communicate with a localsatellite dish; the local satellite dish communicatively couples to theHDTV STB receiver via a coaxial cable. This path of transmission showsyet another communication path where the HDTV STB receiver maycommunicate with the HDTV transmitter. The type of signal received bythe HDTV STB receiver via this local satellite dish may be viewed asbeing a 3^(rd) signal type. For example, some transformations may havebeen made to the signal provided from the HDTV transmitter (via itssatellite earth station), via the satellite, to the local satellite dishof the HDTV STB receiver. When necessary, the transcoder may also beoperable to transform this 3^(rd) signal type to a signal of either oneor both of the 2^(nd) signal type of the 4^(th) signal type (as beingcompatible with the HDTV display and the other type of display,respectively). In whichever embodiment and whichever signal path theHDTV transmitter employs to communicate with the HDTV STB receiver, theHDTV STB receiver is operable to receive communication transmissionsfrom the HDTV transmitter.

The HDTV transmitter is operable to encode information (using anencoder) that is to be transmitted to the HDTV STB receiver; the HDTVSTB receiver is operable to decode the transmitted signal (using adecoder). The output of this decoder, within the HDTV STB receiver willcorrespond to either one of the 1^(st) signal type and the 3^(rd) signaltype, depending on the path of transmission. The transcoder is thenoperable to transform either the 1^(st) signal type signal of the 3^(rd)signal type to a signal of either one or both of the 2^(nd) signal typeand the 4^(th) signal type.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a cable televisioncommunication system that is built according to the invention. Signalsfrom various sources (including broadcast transmissions,satellite-delivered programming, local television productions [localaccess channels], and/or cable subscriber service productions [premiumaccess channels]) are received and processed at the cable headend withinthe cable television communication system. A cable headend transmitterthen transmits the information across the communication mediumdownstream to subscribers on those services. Television signals areelectromagnetic impulses or waves that take up space in the “frequencyspectrum.” They require some medium through which to travel, orpropagate. Broadcast television transmissions travel through the air atvarious frequencies, and television signals carried on a cable systemtravel through a special type of cable. Signals can travel through metalwires such as coaxial cable. Each television signal travels on adifferent frequency inside the cable, and so coaxial cable acts as aself-contained spectrum. In effect, the cable industry creates its ownspectrum—and thereby enables households that cannot or choose not toreceive over-the-air transmissions to receive television. The cableoperator receives a variety of different programs from satellite andbroadcast signals, and re-transmits those signals through coaxial cableand/or optical fiber to customers' homes.

Generally, a large “trunk” cable carries the signals down through thecenter of a town or other subscriber population or group. Thedistribution feeder cables, which are of smaller diameter, connect tothe trunk cable and branch off into local neighborhoods. When a customerpurchases cable services, the cable operator runs a smaller “drop” cable[drop cable] from the distribution feeder cable directly into thecustomer's home, where it is attached to a display device (such as atelevision, display, or an HDTV display). Sometimes, the television, VCR(Video Cassette Recorder), or other tuning device to which the drop iscommunicatively coupled is not capable to tune all the channels ofinterest (e.g., because it is not “cable compatible,”) then a cabletelevision STB receiver (sometimes referred to as a converter) may beplaced between the cable and the display device, television, VCR, orother tuning device. This system design, or “architecture” is known as a“tree and branch” design. The tree and branch architecture is the mostefficient, economical method to transmit a package of multiple channelsof programming from a headend to all customers. This design will operatewhen the display device (or HDTV display) is compatible to receivesignaling of the type received via the drop cable.

However, when the signaling provided from the cable headend is changed,then the user-end (the display and/or the cable television STB receiver)may be incompatible with the new signal type. In order to ensure thatthe signaling provided from the cable headend may properly be used bythe user, a transcoder may be implemented within the cable televisionSTB receiver. The transcoder will then transform the received signal ofthe 1^(st) signal type to a signal of a 2^(nd) signal type for use by adevice communicatively coupled to the cable television STB receiver. Forexample, the transcoder is operable to transform the received signal ofthe 1^(st) signal type to a signal of a 2^(nd) signal type for use by anHDTV display. Alternatively, the transcoder is operable to transform thereceived signal of the 1^(st) signal type to a signal of a 3^(rd) signaltype for use by a display (that is not an HDTV display). Some other typeof consumer electronics device may also be communicatively coupled tothe cable television STB receiver, and the transcoder is then operableto transform the received signal of the 1^(st) signal type to a signalof that signal type for use by the consumer electronics device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a cable modemcommunication system that is built according to the invention. The cablemodem communication system includes a number of CMs (Cable Modems) thatmay be used by different users (the CMs shown as a CM 1, a CM 2, . . . ,and a CM n) and a cable headend that includes a Cable Modem TerminationSystem (CMTS) and a cable headend transmitter. The CMTS is a componentthat exchanges digital signals with CMs on a cable network.

Each of the CMs (shown as CM 1, CM 2, . . . , and CM n) is operable tocommunicatively couple to a Cable Modem (CM) network segment. A numberof elements may be included within the CM network segment. For example,routers, splitters, couplers, relays, and amplifiers may be containedwithin the CM network segment without departing from the scope andspirit of the invention.

The CM network segment allows communicative coupling between any one ofthe CMs and a cable headend that includes the cable modem headendtransmitter and the CMTS. The CMTS may be located at a local office of acable television company or at another location within a cable modemcommunication system. The cable headend transmitter is able to provide anumber of services including those of audio, video, local accesschannels, premium access channels, as well as any other service known inthe art of cable systems. Each of these services may be provided to theone or more CMs (shown as a CM 1, CM 2, . . . , and CM n).

In addition, through the CMTS, the CMs are able to transmit and receivedata from the Internet and/or any other network to which the CMTS iscommunicatively coupled via an external network connection. Theoperation of a CMTS, at the cable-provider's head-end, may be viewed asproviding analogous functions that are provided by a Digital SubscriberLine Access Multiplexor (DSLAM) within a digital subscriber line (DSL)system. The CMTS takes the traffic coming in from a group of customerson a single channel and routes it to an Internet Service Provider (ISP)for connection to the Internet, as shown via the external networkconnection that communicatively couples to the Internet access. At thecable headend, the cable providers will have space, or lease space for athird-party ISP to have, servers for accounting and logging, DynamicHost Configuration Protocol (DHCP) for assigning and administering theInternet Protocol (IP) addresses of all the cable system's users(specifically, for the CM 1, CM 2, . . . , and CM n), and typicallycontrol servers for a protocol called Data Over Cable Service InterfaceSpecification (DOCSIS), the major standard used by U.S. cable systems inproviding Internet access to users. The servers may also be controlledfor a protocol called European Data Over Cable Service InterfaceSpecification (EuroDOCSIS), the major standard used by European cablesystems in providing Internet access to users, without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the invention.

The downstream information flows to any one or more of the connected CMs(shown as the CM 1, CM 2, . . . , and CM n). The individual networkconnection, within the CM network segment, decides whether a particularblock of data is intended for that particular CM or not. On the upstreamside, information is sent from the CMs (shown as the CM 1, CM 2, . . . ,and CM n) to the CMTS; on this upstream transmission, the CMs (shown asthe CM 1, CM 2, . . . , and CM n) to which the data is not intended donot see that data at all.

As an example of the capabilities provided by a CMTS, the CMTS willenable as many as 1,000 users to connect to the Internet through asingle 6 MHz channel. Since a single channel is capable of 30-40 Mbps(mega-bits per second) of total throughput, this means that users maysee far better performance than is available with standard dial-upmodems (operating over telephone lines) that may be used to accessexternal networks such as the Internet.

Each of the CMs (CM 1, CM 2, . . . , and CM n) may be communicativelycoupled to one or more CPEs (Customer Premise Equipment devices). Anyone of the CPEs may be a computer, desk-top computer, lap-top computer,other Internet operable appliance, or some other type of CPE that isoperable to interact with the Internet (or some other WAN that isaccessible via the CM network segment).

In this embodiment, transcoders may be interposed between the CM networksegment and the respective CMs to ensure proper transformation, whennecessary, between the signaling provided to/from the CMs and the cableheadend. For example, when one of the CPEs wished to transmit dataupstream to the cable headend, then the signaling provided from the CPEmay be of a 1^(st) signal type, and the cable headend may expectsignaling of a 2^(nd) signal type. A transcoder within the CM would thentransform this information from the 1^(st) signal type to that of the2^(nd) signal type for proper interfacing to the CM network segment. Inaddition, the signaling provided to the CMs may be a 1^(st) signal typeand the CMs themselves may be expecting signaling of a 2^(nd) signaltype; in such an instance, the transcoders are then operable to performthe appropriate signal transformation to ensure that the signalingprovided is in an appropriate form that the respective CMs expect toreceive.

In addition, the transcoder is may be implemented to perform the reversetransformation of a signal sent from the cable headend to one of the CMs(e.g., transform this information from the 2^(nd) signal type to that ofthe 1^(st) signal type).

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are diagrams illustrating embodiments of transcodersthat are built according to the invention.

Referring to the FIG. 6A, a transcoder is operable to transform an inputsignal of a 1^(st) signal type into an output signal of a 2^(nd) signaltype. The input signal may be a decoded signal provided by a decoder,receiver, and/or transport processor. The output signal may be a signalthat is subsequently provided, as an input signal, to a device thatexpects a signal of the 2^(nd) signal type.

In some instances, the input signal may be viewed as being a signalprovided from a new device, and the output signal may be viewed as asignal being provided to an older, legacy device. For example, the newdevice providing the input signal may be an upgraded broadcasttransmitter, and the legacy device receiving the output signal may be alegacy type STB receiver that expects to receive signal types of anearlier type.

A variety of parameters of the input and output signals (or the 1^(st)signal type and the 2^(nd) signal type) may be used to characterize thesignal type. For example, the signal type may refer to the type ofmodulation of the signal. In the turbo code context, the signal type mayrefer to the code rate of the signal. Alternatively, the signal type mayrefer to the symbol rate and/or the data rate of the signal. Inaddition, other parameters may be used to distinguish the 1^(st) signaltype from the 2^(nd) signal type. The functionality of the transcoder,at a very minimum, may be viewed as performing the transformation of theinput signal (having any one or more of these parameters enumeratedabove) into the output signal (having a modified characteristic of anyone or more of these parameters enumerated above). A specific example ofthe functionality of the transcoder is presented below with respect toFIG. 6B.

Referring to the FIG. 6B, a transcoder is operable to transform areceived satellite signal into a DIRECTV and/or a DVB (Digital VideoBroadcasting) STB (Set Top Box) compatible signal. More specifically,the received satellite signal (e.g., the input signal) may be an inputsignal type 1 that has been encoded using turbo encoding. This inputsignal type 1 includes a modulation type of 8 PSK (Phase Shift Keying),a code rate of ⅔, a symbol rate of 21.5 Msps (Mega-symbols per second),and a data rate of approximately 41 Mbps (Mega-bit per second). Theoutput signal may be a DVB signal type 1 that includes a modulation typeof QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), a code rate of ⅞, a symbol rateof 20 Msps, and a data rate of approximately 32.25 Mbps.

Alternatively, the received satellite signal (e.g., the input signal)may be an input signal type 2 that has been encoded using LDPC (LowDensity Parity Check) encoding such that the input signal type 2 iscompatible with the next-generation satellite digital video broadcastingstandard, DVB-S2. This input signal type 2, being compatible withDVB-S2, includes a modulation type of 8 PSK and a code rate of ⅔, asymbol rate of 20 Msps, and a data rate of approximately 40 Mbps. Theoutput signal may be a DVB signal type 2 that includes a modulation typeof QPSK, a code rate of 6/7, a symbol rate of 20 Msps, and a data rateof approximately 30.5 Mbps.

Clearly, these two particular examples of signal transcoding shownwithin the FIG. 6B are exemplary and are not meant to be exhaustive ofthe manner and types of signal transcoding that may be performed inaccordance with the invention without departing from the scope andspirit thereof.

The following FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B, FIG. 7C, and FIG. 7D illustrate some ofthe various embodiments in which a transcoder may be implementedaccording to the invention.

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are diagrams illustrating embodiments of one to manytranscoders that are built according to the invention.

Referring to the FIG. 7A, an input signal is provided to a transcoderthat is operable to transform the input signal of a 1^(st) signal typeto an output signal 1 (having a 2^(nd) signal type). In addition, thetranscoder is operable to transform the input signal of a 1^(st) signaltype to an output signal 2 (having a 3^(rd) signal type). Additionaloutput signals may also be generated by the transcoder, as shown whenthe transcoder transforms the input signal of a 1^(st) signal type to anoutput signal n (having an (n+1)^(th) signal type).

The transcoder itself may support this functionality in a variety ofways. For example, the transcoder may be an integrated device thatincludes multiple functional blocks therein to support thetransformation of the input signal into the various output signals 1, 2,. . . , n. These various functional blocks may operate simultaneously(in a parallel operation) to perform the respective transformations.Alternatively, a single transcoder functional block may be employedsequentially (in serial operation) performs the respectivetransformations.

In even another alternative embodiment, the transcoder may beimplemented using discrete components that each supports thefunctionality of a uni-directional transcoder. A more detaileddescription of this embodiment is described with respect to FIG. 7B.

Referring to the FIG. 7B, from a higher level viewpoint, the input andoutput of the one to many transcoder of the FIG. 7B is analogous to thatof the FIG. 7A. However, an array of uni-directional transcoders isemployed to perform the individual transformations of the input signalinto the output signal 1, 2, . . . n.

FIG. 7C and FIG. 7D are diagrams illustrating embodiments ofbi-directional transcoders that are built according to the invention.

Referring to the FIG. 7C, a bi-directional transcoder is operable totransform an input signal 1 of a 1^(st) signal type into an outputsignal 1 of a 2^(nd) signal type. In addition, the bi-directionaltranscoder is operable to transform an input signal 2 of a 3^(rd) signaltype into an output signal 2 of a 4^(th) signal type.

Similar to the different possible embodiments described above withrespect to the one to many transcoders, the bi-directional transcoderhere may also be implemented in a number of ways. For example, thetranscoder may be an integrated device that includes multiple functionalblocks therein to support the transformation of the input signals 1 and2 into the output signals 1 and 2, respectively. These variousfunctional blocks may operate simultaneously (in a parallel operation)to perform the respective transformations. Alternatively, a singletranscoder functional block may be employed that sequentially (in serialoperation) to perform the respective transformations.

Referring to the FIG. 7D, the bi-directional transcoder is implementedusing two discrete uni-directional functional blocks. From a higherlevel viewpoint, the input and output of the bi-directional transcoderof the FIG. 7D is analogous to that of the FIG. 7C. More specifically, auni-directional transcoder is operable to transform an input signal 1 ofa 1^(st) signal type into an output signal 1 of a 2^(nd) signal type. Inaddition, another uni-directional transcoder is operable to transform aninput signal 2 of a 3^(rd) signal type into an output signal 2 of a4^(th) signal type.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a transcoder that isbuilt according to the invention.

Referring to the FIG. 8, a received signal having a frequency 1 isprovided to a receiver. This receiver may perform any necessary tuning,down-converting, decoding, and/or pre-processing to decode the receivedsignal. The output of the receiver may be viewed as a signal having a1^(st) signal type. The output of the receiver is provided to amodulator (of the transcoder) that operates according to the invention.In certain embodiments, a transport processor is interposed between thereceiver and the modulator. The modulator (again, of the transcoder) isoperable to transform the signal, from the receiver (or the transportprocessor) having the 1^(st) signal type into a signal having a 2^(nd)signal type. The functionality supported by the receiver may be viewedas being within a 1^(st) functional block, and the functionalitysupported by both the receiver and the transport processor may be viewedas being within an alternative 1^(st) functional block. Thefunctionality supported by the modulator in combination with the DAC maybe viewed as being within a 2^(nd) functional block.

In this embodiment, the signal having the 2^(nd) signal type is thenprovided to a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter). This DAC may beimplemented as part of a single integrated circuit in which thefunctionality shown herein is includes; alternatively, the DAC may beimplemented off-chip (e.g., in a separate integrated circuit). Inwhichever way a particular embodiment may be implemented, thefunctionality described by the various functional blocks is performed.This now analog version of the signal having the 2^(nd) signal type maythen be up-converted in frequency from a frequency 2 to a frequency 3(using an oscillator) before being provided as an output signal. Thisembodiment shows the operation of one embodiment of a transcoder, builtaccording to the invention, in the context of a receiver's functionalityand any necessary DAC operation and/or up-converting (or down-convertingfor that matter) before providing the signal having the 2^(nd) signaltype as output.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating embodiments of a transcoder system thatis built according to the invention. Referring to the FIG. 9, a signalis received from a satellite. This signal may be viewed as a raw signalprovided from a satellite dish. This signal received from the satelliteis provided to a received signal tuner. The received signal tuner may beimplemented as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor)satellite tuner in some embodiments. The CMOS satellite tuner isoperable to perform tuning and/or down-converting to generate an analogbaseband signal, including the I, Q (In-phase, Quadrature components)thereof. This analog baseband signal is provided to a satellitereceiver. The satellite receiver may be implemented specifically as an 8PSK turbo code receiver in some embodiments. For example, the satellitereceiver may be designed to operate on an expected received signalhaving a modulation type of 8 PSK, and being a turbo coded signal. Incertain embodiments, the signal received by the 8 PSK turbo codereceiver may be of the type of input signal 1 described above withrespect to FIG. 6B.

Alternatively, the satellite receiver may be implemented specifically asan 8 PSK LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) code receiver in otherembodiments. For example, the satellite receiver may be designed tooperate on an expected received signal having a modulation type of 8PSK, and being an LDPC coded signal. In some embodiments, the signalreceived by an 8 PSK LDPC code receiver may be of the type of inputsignal 2 that is also described above with respect to FIG. 6B.

It is also noted that a single satellite receiver may also beimplemented to perform the receiver functionality of both an 8 PSK turbocode receiver and an 8 PSK LDPC code receiver. The selection of whichfunctionality is used at any given time may be selected by a user of thedevice or adaptively in real time based on the characteristics of thereceived satellite signal.

Regardless of which type of signal is received within the communicationsystem, and regardless of in which manner the satellite receiver isimplemented, the output of the satellite receiver is provided to amodulator that is built according to the invention.

If desired, a transport processor, which may be implemented as an MPEG-2(Motion Picture Expert Group, level 2) transport processor, may beinterposed between the satellite receiver and the transcoder. Onepossible embodiment of the transport processor is described in moredetail below with respect to FIG. 10.

The modulator is operable to transform the signal provided by thesatellite receiver (or the transport processor that may be implementedas a MPEG-2 transport processor) to a signal having a DIRECTV and/or aDVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) STB (Set Top Box) compatible signal.More specifically, the modulator may be implemented as a DVBencoder/modulator to ensure that the signal may be of a DIRECTV and/or aDVB STB compatible signal.

Before being provided to the legacy STB, a DAC is operable to convertthis signal to an analog signal having an IF (Intermediate Frequency)signal. For example, this IF signal may have a frequency ofapproximately 70 MHz (Mega-Hertz). An up-converter functional block isoperable to up-convert this IF signal to an L-band signal (having afrequency in the range of 950 MHz to 2150 MHz) using a fixed oscillator.It is noted that this up-conversion of frequency may be integratedwithin a single chip solution. Alternatively, it may be performed offchip.

In addition, the satellite receiver and the modulator arecommunicatively coupled to a microcontroller (or a state machine) thatis operable to coordinate the communication and control of the STB andan LNB (Low Noise Block Converter). The LNB is a device at the focalpoint of a satellite dish that gathers the signal reflected by the dishto the system's low-noise block amplifier. Communicatively coupled tothe microcontroller (or a state machine) are two transceivers. Thesetransceivers perform the necessary communication and control interfacingwith the LNB and the STB, respectively. If desired, these transceiversmay be implemented as DiSEqC (Digital Satellite Equipment Control:DiSEgC™—hereinafter referred to as DiSEqC) 2.0 transceivers. DiSEqC isan OPEN STANDARD with additions controlled by industry agreement. TheDiSEqC system is a communication bus between satellite receivers andsatellite peripheral equipment, using only the existing coaxial cable.DiSEqC is a common standard that has gained a great deal of acceptancefor use within consumer satellite installations to replace allconventional analogue (voltage, tone or pulse width) switching and allother control wiring.

The microcontroller (or a state machine) is also operable to include acertain amount of code that the transcoder employs at power up of thedevice's configuration settings including voltage levels, sequencing,and/or other start-up requirement settings. In addition, themicrocontroller (or a state machine) is implemented to direct andcoordinate the communication between the STB and the LNB. Also, themicrocontroller may be configured to perform other functions such asconfiguring the transport processor, the PID filter, the receiver toreceive a certain type of input signal, and/or the modulator/encoder toselect the appropriate signal type for the output.

In addition, the microcontroller (or a state machine) directs all of thespecifications when the STB is trying to tune to a particular channel.The microcontroller (or a state machine) may direct the acquisition ofthe satellite receiver. In general, the microcontroller (or a statemachine) governs the communication between the STB, the satellitereceiver, and (when necessary) the LNB. In addition, the microcontroller(or a state machine) directs that the transcoder performs theappropriate transformation of the signal provided to the transcoder(e.g., being of a 1^(st) signal type) and outputting a signal of a2^(nd) signal type.

It is noted that all of the functional blocks described within thisembodiment may be implemented within a single integrated circuit design.Alternatively, the CMOS tuner may be implemented as one integratedcircuit, and the remainder of the functional blocks may be within asingle integrated circuit design. In even another embodiment, the CMOStuner may be implemented as one integrated circuit, and the remainder ofthe functional blocks (except the up-conversion to the L-band beforeproviding the output signal to the STB) may be within a singleintegrated circuit design, and this up-conversion may be implementedoff-chip.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a transport processorthat is built according to the invention. Again, it is noted that theuse of a transport processor interposed between a receiver and atranscoder, built according to the invention, is an option—it is notneeded in all embodiments.

In this embodiment, the transport processor includes three differentfunctional blocks. A PID (Program Identification according to the MPEGstandard) filtering functional block is operable to throw away data inthe received signal that is not desired (e.g., audio and/or videoprograms that are not being selected). A PCR (Program Clock Reference)time stamp correction functional block is operable to keep the time baseconstant. In addition, a null packet insertion functional block isoperable to insert null packets to ensure that the data rate (e.g., inMbps (Mega-bits per second)) is maintained at the level for which thecommunication system is designed. For example, in the MPEG-2 transportstream context, when the data rate of the MPEG-2 transport stream isless than the expected value, then null packets are inserted to bringthe data rate up to that expected value.

It is noted that this embodiment is just one possible embodiment of howthe transport processor may be implemented. Other embodiments oftransport processors may be employed without departing from the scopeand spirit of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a transcodingprocessing method that is performed according to the invention.Initially, an encoded signal (in 1^(st) signal format) is received. Itis noted that this 1^(st) signal format (or 1^(st) signal type) may beviewed as being any one or more parameter of a signal includingmodulation type, code rate, symbol rate, data rate, and/or otherparameter.

After this first signal is decoded, this decoded signal is thentranscoded from its 1^(st) signal format to into another, encoded signalhaving a 2^(nd) signal format. Again, it is noted that this 2^(nd)signal format (or 2^(nd) signal type) may be viewed as being any one ormore parameter of a signal including modulation type, code rate, symbolrate, data rate, and/or other parameter. Ultimately, the encoded signalhaving the 2^(nd) signal format is then provided as output.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a satellite signaltranscoding processing method that is performed according to theinvention. Initially, a raw satellite signal of a 1^(st) type isreceived at satellite dish. Then, the raw satellite signal is providedto a tuner. Within the tuner, the raw satellite signal is converted downto baseband I, Q. This baseband I, Q signal is then provided to asatellite receiver. The satellite receiver then decodes the baseband I,Q signal. If desired, in certain embodiments, transport processing isperformed on the decoded signal.

Then, the decoded signal is provided from the satellite receiver to amodulator (for encoding and modulating). The transcoding performs thetransformation of the signal of a 1^(st) signal type to a signal of a2^(nd) signal type. The transcoded signal may then be applied to alegacy STB. In one instance, this transcoded signal (being encoded andmodulated into another signal type) may ultimately be output to a CPE(such as a display, an HDTV display, or other such devices).

It is noted that either of the methods described within the FIG. 11 andthe FIG. 12 may be implemented within several of the various functionalblock type embodiments describe herein.

In some embodiments, various aspects of the invention can be found in atranscoder. The transcoder includes an input that provides a signal to atranscoder functional block and an output that transmits a transcodedsignal from the transcoder functional block. More specifically, in thisembodiment, the input receives a first signal having a first signal typefrom a first functional block. This first functional block may beanother functional block within a common integrated circuit in which thetranscoder functional block is implemented. Alternatively, this firstfunctional block may be another device to which the transcoder iscommunicatively coupled thereto. Alternatively, this first functionalblock may be another integrated circuit within a single device in whichthe transcoder is implemented, such as a receiver and/or a decoder. Thetranscoder functional block transforms the first signal having the firstsignal type thereby generating a second signal having a second signaltype. The output transmits the second signal having the second signaltype to a second functional block.

This second functional block also may be implemented in any number ofdifferent ways (e.g., another functional block within the sameintegrated circuit, another device, another integrated circuit within acommon device, among other ways of implementing the second functionalblock). The first signal type may be characterized in a number ofdifferent ways according to one or more parameters. For example, thefirst signal type may include one or more of a first modulation, a firstcode rate, a first symbol rate, and/or a first data rate. Similarly, thesecond signal type may include one or more of a second modulation, asecond code rate, a second symbol rate, and/or a second data rate. Thetranscoder functional block is operable to transform any one or more ofthese signal parameters from one type to another type.

One example of the transformation of the type of the first signal typeto the second signal type may be described as follows: the first signaltype includes an 8 PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation type, a code rateof ⅔, a symbol rate of approximately 21.5 Msps (Mega-symbols persecond), and a data rate of approximately 41 Mbps (Mega-bits persecond), and the second signal type includes a QPSK (Quadrature PhaseShift Keying) modulation type, a code rate of ⅞, a symbol rate ofapproximately 20 Msps, and a data rate of approximately 32.25 Mbps. Itis noted here that this is just one of the many possible embodiments ofhow the invention may be implemented, and other variations may beimplemented without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention.

In certain embodiments, the transcoder functional block is implementedwithin an integrated circuit. Also, the first functional block and thesecond functional block may also be implemented as functional blockswithin the same integrated circuit. In one particular embodiment, thefirst functional block is a satellite receiver that is operable todecode the first signal having the first signal type, and the secondfunctional block is a modulator and a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter)that is operable to transform the second signal having the second signaltype from a digital signal into an analog signal. In another embodiment,the first functional block includes a transport processor that includesa PID (Program Identification according to the MPEG standard) filteringfunctional block, a PCR (Program Clock Reference) time stamp correctionfunctional block, and a null packet insertion functional block. In thisinstance, the PID filtering functional block is operable to throw awaydata in the first signal having the first signal type, the PCR timestamp correction functional block is operable to keep a time base of thesecond signal having the second signal type constant, the null packetinsertion functional block is operable to insert null packets into thefirst signal having the first signal type thereby ensuring a constantdata rate of the first signal having the first signal type, and thesecond functional block includes a DAC that is operable to transform thesecond signal having the second signal type from a digital signal intoan analog signal. The transport processor may be implemented as anMPEG-2 (Motion Picture Expert Group, level 2) transport processor.

The transcoder itself may also be implemented in a number of differentways. For example, the transcoder may be implemented as a one to manytranscoder, a uni-directional transcoder, or a bi-directionaltranscoder. The one to many transcoder is operable to transform thefirst signal having the first signal type thereby generating the secondsignal having the second signal type and a third signal having the thirdsignal type. The uni-directional transcoder is operable to transform thefirst signal having the first signal type thereby generating the secondsignal having the second signal type when communicating in a firstdirection with respect to the transcoder. The bi-directional transcoderis operable to transform the first signal having the first signal typethereby generating the second signal having the second signal type wheninformation is communicated in a first direction with respect to thetranscoder, and the bi-directional transcoder is also operable totransform the fourth signal having the fourth signal type therebygenerating the fifth signal having the firth signal type wheninformation is communicated in a second direction with respect to thetranscoder. Moreover, the transcoder may be implemented within at leastone of a satellite communication system, a HDTV (High DefinitionTelevision) communication system, a cable television system, and a cablemodem communication system. In even other embodiments, the transcoderfunctional block includes a DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting)encoder/modulator to ensure that the second signal having the secondsignal type is a DVB STB (Set Top Box) compatible signal.

Within another embodiment, a satellite signal, being a turbo codedsignal and having an 8 PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation type, that isprovided to a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) satellitetuner that is operable to perform tuning and down-converting of thesatellite signal to generate an analog baseband signal having I, Q(In-phase, Quadrature) components. In this embodiment, the firstfunctional block is an 8 PSK (Phase Shift Keying) turbo code receiver.The analog baseband signal is provided to the 8 PSK turbo code receiverthat is operable to decode the analog baseband signal thereby generatinga decoded baseband signal. The analog baseband signal is the firstsignal having the first signal type that is provided to the transcoderfunctional block. The transcoder functional block is a DVB (DigitalVideo Broadcasting) encoder/modulator that is operable to transform thefirst signal having the first signal type, which is the analog basebandsignal, thereby generating the second signal having the second signaltype. The second functional block includes a DAC (Digital to AnalogConverter) that is operable to transform the second signal having thesecond signal type from a digital signal into an analog signal that isan IF (Intermediate Frequency) signal that is within the RF (RadioFrequency) spectrum. In some embodiments, this IF signal may be a signalhaving a frequency of approximately 70 MHz (Mega-Hertz). This embodimentalso includes an up-converter functional block that is operable toup-convert the IF signal to an L-band signal having a frequency in arange of 950 MHz to 2150 MHz, and the L-band signal is a DVB STB (SetTop Box) compatible signal. Another variation of this embodimentincludes a microcontroller or a state machine that is operable tocoordinate the communication and control of a STB, to which thetranscoder is communicatively coupled, and an LNB (Low Noise BlockConverter) of a satellite dish to which the transcoder is alsocommunicatively coupled. Also, a first transceiver may be implemented tointerface the microcontroller or a state machine to the LNB, and asecond transceiver may be implemented to interface the microcontrolleror a state machine to the STB. Each of the first transceiver and thesecond transceiver may be implemented as a DiSEqC (Digital SatelliteEquipment Control) transceiver.

In view of the above detailed description of the invention andassociated drawings, other modifications and variations will now becomeapparent. It should also be apparent that such other modifications andvariations may be effected without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention.

1. An apparatus, comprising: a transcoder functional block for processing a first signal having a first signal type thereby generating a second signal having a second signal type; and a microcontroller or a state machine, communicatively coupled to the transcoder functional block, for directing operation of the transcoder functional block in processing the first signal thereby generating the second signal; a first DiSEqC (Digital Satellite Equipment Control) transceiver for interfacing the microcontroller or the state machine to an LNB (Low Noise Block Converter) of a satellite dish; and a second DiSEqC transceiver for interfacing the microcontroller or the state machine to a Set Top Box (STB); and wherein: the first signal type includes a first modulation, a first code rate, a first symbol rate, and a first data rate; the second signal type includes a second modulation, a second code rate, a second symbol rate, and a second data rate; and the microcontroller or the state machine being operative to coordinate communication and control of the STB and the LNB.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transcoder functional block further comprising: a satellite receiver for decoding the first signal having the first signal type, wherein the first signal including information encoded by one of a plurality of codes, the satellite receiver including a plurality of decoding functionalities for respectively decoding in accordance with each of the plurality of code types, and the satellite receiver adaptively employing one of the plurality of decoding functionalities that respectively corresponds to the one of the plurality of codes for decoding the first signal; a modulator, connected to the satellite receiver, for encoding and modulating decoded output from the satellite receiver; and a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), connected to the modulator, for transforming the second signal having the second signal type from a digital signal into an analog signal.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein: the transcoder functional block being implemented within an integrated circuit; the transcoder functional block including a first functional block and a second functional block; and the first functional block and the second functional block being functional blocks within the integrated circuit.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein: the transcoder functional block being implemented within an integrated circuit; the first functional block being the satellite receiver; and the second functional block including the modulator and the DAC.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the apparatus being implemented within at least one of a satellite communication system, an HDTV (High Definition Television) communication system, a cable television system, and a cable modem communication system.
 6. An apparatus, comprising: a transcoder functional block for processing a first signal having a first signal type thereby generating a second signal having a second signal type; and a microcontroller or a state machine, communicatively coupled to the transcoder functional block, for directing operation of the transcoder functional block in processing the first signal thereby generating the second signal; and wherein: the first signal type includes a first modulation, a first code rate, a first symbol rate, and a first data rate; and the second signal type includes a second modulation, a second code rate, a second symbol rate, and a second data rate.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transcoder functional block further comprising: a satellite receiver for decoding the first signal having the first signal type, wherein the first signal including information encoded by one of a plurality of codes, the satellite receiver including a plurality of decoding functionalities for respectively decoding in accordance with each of the plurality of code types, and the satellite receiver adaptively employing one of the plurality of decoding functionalities that respectively corresponds to the one of the plurality of codes for decoding the first signal; a modulator, connected to the satellite receiver, for encoding and modulating decoded output from the satellite receiver; and a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter), connected to the modulator, for transforming the second signal having the second signal type from a digital signal into an analog signal.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein: the transcoder functional block being implemented within an integrated circuit; the transcoder functional block including a first functional block and a second functional block; and the first functional block and the second functional block being functional blocks within the integrated circuit.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein: the transcoder functional block being implemented within an integrated circuit; the first functional block being the satellite receiver; and the second functional block including the modulator and the DAC.
 10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transcoder functional block further comprising: a satellite receiver for adaptively processing the first signal based on the first signal type; and wherein: the first signal type being a turbo code signal type or an LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) code signal type.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: the first signal type being the turbo code signal type; the first signal type including an 8 PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation type, a code rate of ⅔, a symbol rate of approximately 21.5 Msps (Mega-symbols per second), and a data rate of approximately 41 Mbps (Mega-bits per second); and the second signal type including a QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) modulation type, a code rate of ⅞, a symbol rate of approximately 20 Msps, and a data rate of approximately 32.25 Mbps.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein: the first signal type being the LDPC code signal type; the first signal type including an 8 PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation type, a code rate of ⅔, a symbol rate of approximately 20 Msps (Mega-symbols per second), and a data rate of approximately 40 Mbps (Mega-bits per second); and the second signal type including a QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) modulation type, a code rate of 6/7, a symbol rate of approximately 20 Msps, and a data rate of approximately 30.5 Mbps.
 13. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein: the microcontroller or the state machine being operative to coordinate communication and control of a Set Top Box (STB) and an LNB (Low Noise Block Converter) of a satellite dish that are both respectively communicatively coupled to the transcoder functional block.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: a first DiSEqC (Digital Satellite Equipment Control) transceiver for interfacing the microcontroller or the state machine to the LNB; and a second DiSEqC transceiver for interfacing the microcontroller or the state machine to the STB.
 15. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein: the transcoder functional block including a DVB (Digital Video Broadcasting) encoder/modulator for ensuring that the second signal having the second signal type is a DVB STB (Set Top Box) compatible signal.
 16. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein: the apparatus being implemented within at least one of a satellite communication system, an HDTV (High Definition Television) communication system, a cable television system, and a cable modem communication system.
 17. A method, comprising: operating a transcoder functional block for processing a first signal having a first signal type thereby generating a second signal having a second signal type; and operating a microcontroller or a state machine, communicatively coupled to the transcoder functional block, for directing operation of the transcoder functional block in processing the first signal thereby generating the second signal; and wherein: the first signal type includes a first modulation, a first code rate, a first symbol rate, and a first data rate; and the second signal type includes a second modulation, a second code rate, a second symbol rate, and a second data rate.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: operating a satellite receiver, implemented within the transcoder functional block, for adaptively processing the first signal based on the first signal type, wherein the first signal type being a turbo code signal type or an LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) code signal type.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein: the first signal type being the turbo code signal type; the first signal type including an 8 PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation type, a code rate of ⅔, a symbol rate of approximately 21.5 Msps (Mega-symbols per second), and a data rate of approximately 41 Mbps (Mega-bits per second); and the second signal type including a QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) modulation type, a code rate of ⅞, a symbol rate of approximately 20 Msps, and a data rate of approximately 32.25 Mbps.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein: the first signal type being the LDPC code signal type; the first signal type including an 8 PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation type, a code rate of ⅔, a symbol rate of approximately 20 Msps (Mega-symbols per second), and a data rate of approximately 40 Mbps (Mega-bits per second); and the second signal type including a QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) modulation type, a code rate of 6/7, a symbol rate of approximately 20 Msps, and a data rate of approximately 30.5 Mbps. 